Authors: Leslie Ann Moore
“You knew it even then, didn’t you, my lord? That you and Jelena were meant to be together?”
“I did,” Ashinji replied. “Although it took a great deal of work on my part before I could convince her.”
Aneko laughed. “Lord Ashinji, Jelena loved you from the very moment she laid eyes on you. She just didn’t believe that someone of your high station could love someone like her… a hikui, I mean. It’s obvious now how wrong she was about you.” Aneko paused, then added “She has been truly blessed by the One.”
Ashinji shook his head. “No. I’m the one who’s been blessed.” He made no attempt to disguise the emotion in his voice. “Aneko,” he continued. “There’s something you must do for me.”
“Anything, my lord,” Aneko replied.
“If…if anything should happen to me…” Ashinji had to stop talking for a moment because his mouth had gone as dry as old bones. Aneko waited in silence for him to continue. He took a deep breath.
“Go to Jelena and tell her I was thinking of her and our child…every waking moment. Tell her that my love never faltered, even as I drew my last breath. Promise you’ll do this for me, Aneko.”
“Lord Ashinji, I promise, but you’ll be able to tell her yourself!” Aneko whispered fiercely. Ashinji sensed her body shifting position in the darkness. “My lord, you must take care, watch your back. Kerala needs you too much. Your father needs you!”
My wife needs me even more, and I can’t be there for her!
“Thank you, Aneko, for being a friend to Jelena,” Ashinji said. “I think I’ll head off to bed now, before I fall down from weariness.” He turned to go.
“Lord Ashinji,” Aneko called softly. Ashinji paused. “I know I speak for most everyone at Kerala when I say that we wish things could be different.”
Though she had chosen her words with care, Ashinji understood the unspoken message behind them. He opened his mouth to reply, but Aneko had slipped away, leaving him alone in the dark of a moonless night, with only his thoughts for company.
Betrayal
Ashinji stood under a vault of glittering stars, surrounded by a sea of rustling, sun-dried grass. An acrid odor tickled his nose and he sneezed. Off in the distance, he heard shouts. The sick sensation of extreme danger streamed through his subconscious mind. A voice howled his name.
Lord Ashinji! My lord, you must wake up!
Ashinji’s eyes flew open and he sat up with a gasp. Homan stumbled backward to avoid a collision with his captain’s head and fell hard on his rump.
“Lord Ashinji!” he croaked, his expression grim. “The meadow’s afire! They’ve set it alight, an’ the entire camp’s in danger!”
“Who, Homan?” Ashinji scrambled to his feet, heart hammering in his chest. He grabbed his sergeant’s hand and hauled the man up.
“The Soldarans, Cap’n! You must hurry!”
Ashinji snatched up his sword and buckled it on, then grabbed his helmet. With a jerk of his head, he indicated that Homan should follow him. “Are they coming, Homan? Are they here?” Ashinji shouted as he and the lanky sergeant made their way through the maelstrom of running bodies toward Sadaiyo’s tent.
“Dunno!” Homan gasped. “Might just be a small party sent ahead to burn us outta this field… Sow confusion amongst us so’s we’d be too exhausted to put up a good fight tomorrow.”
A reasonable deduction
, Ashinji thought
. If the positions of our respective armies were reversed, I might have suggested just such a tactic myself.
The two of them arrived at Sadaiyo’s tent just as he emerged, shadowed by his aide, Lanic. “Little Brother, it seems the humans have gotten the jump on us,” he said. For once, his voice contained not the slightest trace of condescension. “The meadow has been fired on three sides.” Thick smoke now billowed across the elven encampment in stinging clouds. Ashinji’s eyes filled with tears, and a coughing fit lurked at the back of his throat.
“How did they get past the sentries?” he rasped.
Sadaiyo made an impatient gesture with his hand. “That’s just it. The fire started beyond the picket line. They must have known the flames would burn toward us. Damn it!” he cursed. “Get to your horse and form up your company. I want you to ride down to the fords and station yourself there quick as you can. If there’s to be an attack now, it’ll come from there!”
“Yes, Brother!”
Horns blared all over the camp. Sadaiyo’s other captains arrived. Orders were given, and men and women scattered to carry them out. Ashinji and Homan rushed into the smoky darkness. The sky glowed with the eerie orange light that only a wildfire could produce.
“This way, my lord!” Homan shouted, waving his arms over his head, then pointing in the direction of the horse lines. As they waded through the swirl of bodies, Ashinji felt relieved to see that most of the activity, while frantic, appeared organized. The troops seemed focused, intent on getting themselves and their comrades out of danger.
Shrill neighs alerted them to the uneasy state of the horses. Ashinji quickly spotted Kian, a groom at his head stroking the big black gelding’s nose. Kian’s eyes gleamed like wet stones in the ruddy light of the fire. He appeared nervous, but not yet panicked.
“There, there, my friend!” Ashinji spoke soothing words as he approached the horse. Kian threw his head up and whickered. Ashinji took the lead rope from the groom’s hand. “Bring my saddle and bridle,” he ordered. The groom scampered off, returning quickly with the heavy war saddle in his arms, bridle draped over his shoulder.
While the groom held Kian’s head, Ashinji tacked him up. As he worked, his mind feverishly attacked the problem at hand. The Peregrines would have to ride around the fire line to get to the fords. Once there, he would position them on the Soldaran side of the river, and pray they did not have to hold off the entire human army on their own.
Even so, Sadaiyo has given me an order and I’m duty-bound to carry it out… The Peregrines must hold the fords until Sadaiyo can bring up all our forces!
After checking the girth one last time, Ashinji flung himself onto Kian’s back and snatched up the reins. Homan handed up his helmet and he pulled it on. “Mount up quick as you can and get back to the company. We need to ride out now!” He heard Homan call out “Yes, Cap’n” as he spun Kian around and tapped the warhorse’s flanks with his heels, keeping a firm hold on the reins. He could feel the gelding’s mounting excitement through his legs and hands. The big horse wanted to run, but Ashinji held him down to a brisk walk, unwilling to risk trampling a hapless trooper too slow to get out of the way.
All around, companies were forming up. Sergeants screamed orders and troopers shouted to one another. Bedding and dishes lay discarded on the ground, creating a dangerous jumble for Kian to pick his way through. Smoke and ash filled the air. Ashinji tried to stifle a coughing fit, to no avail. His eyes and nose streamed wetness down his face, but he could not wipe them without stopping to remove his helmet.
At last, the standard of Peregrine Company loomed ahead. A man ran up and skidded to a halt just in front of Kian, causing the gelding to snort and start in surprise. Ashinji recognized Goran, Homan’s immediate subordinate.
“Lord Ashinji,” he gasped, then doubled over in a fit of coughing.
Ashinji waited until he recovered, then asked “Is the company formed up?”
“Yes, my lord,” Goran croaked. “We were awaiting your return.”
“We’re moving out now. Our orders are to get to the fords and hold them.” Ashinji pointed over his shoulder. “Homan is right behind me. When he comes up, tell him to bring the company around to the north. There’s a break in the fire there. I’ll ride ahead to scout.”
“You shouldn’t ride out alone, Captain,” Goran protested. “It’s not safe! There could be humans swarming all over the riverbank by now!”
“I’ll be careful,” Ashinji replied. “If I see anything suspicious, I’ll hold back and wait for the company.” Goran looked unconvinced, but he didn’t dare argue. Instead, he bowed in acknowledgement.
Ashinji clicked his tongue and Kian started forward. He steered toward the northern end of camp, the area farthest from the river.
It soon became clear to Ashinji what the humans must have done. A small party had forged ahead of the main body of the Soldaran force and had crossed the river under cover of darkness. The moon was new, so the only light would have been from the stars, perfect conditions for sneaking close to the elven camp without serious risk of detection.
Once the raiders had come in as close as they dared, they had spread out and fired the tinder-dry meadow simultaneously on three sides. After completing the job, the raiders fled back to the river to make good their escape.
Once Ashinji had broken free of the main body of the army, he spurred Kian into a rolling canter. The gelding snorted and tossed his head; the lather on his neck testified to his nervousness in the face of the fire. Still, he obeyed his master and carried Ashinji willingly enough.
The fire roared and crackled like a living thing as man and horse sought to circle around it. Thick clouds of smoke billowed all around, obscuring Ashinji’s vision, but a momentary thinning allowed him to spot the break in the flames. He turned Kian’s head toward the clear space and urged the horse forward.
Kian whipped past the fire line, hooves throwing up gouts of hot ash. With the flames now behind them, Ashinji steered the gelding to the west and south and gave Kian his head, allowing him to run.
Onward they raced, the red glare of the flames lighting their way. Up ahead lay the dark wall of shadow that marked the tree line along the far bank of the river. On the near side, the bank—rocky and overgrown with thick tussocks of vegetation—dropped sharply to the water. Ashinji pulled back on the reins and sat deep in the saddle, checking Kian down to a walk. The gelding, barely winded, pranced and jigged at the bit, eager to be off again.
Ashinji approached the river with caution, wary of the thickets which might conceal any number of dangers. At this distance from the camp and the fire, he could once again hear the normal noises of the night. Crickets chirped from deep within the tangled growth and cicadas shrilled rhythmically from the trees across the gurgling expanse of water. An owl hooted overhead.
Ashinji brought Kian to a halt and sat very still, listening. With a sigh of frustration, he unbuckled the chinstrap of his helmet and pulled it off. He imagined he could hear Homan scolding him for taking such a risk but he needed a few moments free of the encumbrance of the helmet. A stray night breeze ruffled his hair.
Kian snorted and threw up his head.
“What is it, my friend?” Ashinji whispered. A prickling sensation tickled the back of his neck, and the air grew heavy with menace.
Too late, he realized his peril.
Out of the darkness they rushed, eerily silent. Kian trumpeted in alarm and reared, striking out with his front hooves. Ashinji clung to the saddle, struggling to free his sword from its scabbard, but too many hands pulled at him. Before he could react, they had dragged him to the ground.
Kian whirled and let fly with a vicious kick of his hind legs, scattering their attackers and allowing Ashinji to scramble to his feet and draw his sword. Instinctively, he assumed a defensive stance, his eyes and brain analyzing his situation with the speed of desperation. He cursed himself for a fool.
He faced at least a dozen attackers, all armed, probably one of the raiding parties sent ahead to fire the meadow. For some reason, they had lingered on this side of the river, perhaps to watch what their handiwork had accomplished. Now they had Ashinji surrounded and cut off from escape.
Without warning, Kian let out a shuddering groan and went to his knees. Ashinji gasped as the big horse flopped over on his side and lay quivering. He saw the pale sheen of entrails through a gaping wound in the gelding’s belly, and horrified, he realized Kian, his mount and his friend, had been gutted.
Ashinji swallowed his anger and grief. He had no time for them now, for if he didn’t think of some way to get out of this situation fast, he would soon join Kian in death. He raised his sword and shouted in Soldaran, “There are a hundred fighters hard on my heels! They will be here any moment!”
“This ‘un speaks Soldaran!” one of the humans cried in apparent astonishment.
“Shoot ‘im an’ let’s get outta here!” another voice demanded.
“I hear hoof beats!” cried a third.
Ashinji heard them as well, but it sounded like a lone rider, not Peregrine Company. His heart sank. Who else had been foolish enough to ride out here alone?
Could it be Homan, coming to search for me…? But no, Homan would come with all of Peregrine Company behind him, as ordered. Where are they? Surely they should have been here by now!
The humans all stood frozen, heads cocked like dogs, listening. The hoof beats had stopped.
“Ain’t nuthin’ but yer imagination, Caius,” one of them spat. The others muttered in agreement.
Ashinji’s eyes strained to see into the darkness. He knew he’d heard hoof beats.
I’ve got to warn whoever is out there,
he thought. “Hoy, soldier! There’s an ambush here! Beware and help me if you can!” he shouted.
The humans flung themselves at him. He managed to dodge the first few blows but a solid swing from a blunt weapon connected with his back plate, knocking him to his knees. Reflexively, he brought his arm up to parry a sword blow.